Brazil’s president joins anti-lockdown, pro-dictatorship protest

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to supporters during a protest asking for military intervention in front the army's headquarters during the new coronavirus pandemic, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, April 19. (Andre Borges/AP)

Brazil’s far-right leader, who has repeatedly dismissed the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic even as his country’s death toll continues to rise, went even further on Sunday by personally joining a crowded rally calling for the end of lockdown measures and for the return of the military regime.

Jair Bolsonaro, who fired the nation’s top health official last week, did not wear a mask or gloves and was seen coughing multiple times as he addressed hundreds of supporters in the country’s capital, Brasília.

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“I am here because I believe in you. You are here because you believe in Brazil,” the former army captain told the crowd.

His controversial public appearance defies his own government’s recommendation to maintain social distancing. It also appeared to show an endorsement for a military intervention as many attending the event were calling for Congress and the Supreme Court to be shut down.

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Bolsonaro did not specifically address those calls in his appearance Sunday, but the first-term president often speaks favorably about the country’s 1964-1985 dictatorship, during which hundreds were killed and thousands were tortured, and has backed changes in schools’ history curriculum that would revise how students learn about that dark period.

His actions on Sunday drew widespread outrage across Brazil.

“It is frightening to see demonstrations for the return of the military regime, after 30 years of democracy,” Supreme Court Justice Luís Roberto Barroso wrote on Twitter.

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“Only those who have lost faith in the future and dream of a past that never existed can desire military intervention,” he added. “Dictatorships come with violence against opponents, censorship and intolerance. Good people who love Brazil don't want that.”

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro appears at a protest asking for military intervention in front the army's headquarters during the new coronavirus pandemic, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, April 19. (Andre Borges/AP)

Since the deadly virus began spreading in Brazil last month, Bolsonaro has furiously criticized state governors for introducing drastic stay-at-home orders to contain the spread of the disease, saying those measures would cause more harm than the pandemic itself.

Brazil has confirmed nearly 40,000 coronavirus infections and more than 2,500 deaths. Experts say the real numbers are likely much higher as local governments are still struggling to improve testing capabilities.